Super Bowl LIII preview: Patriots vs. Rams is a battle of old guard vs. new

SportsPulse: This will likely go down as the worst officiated championship weekend ever. But if you are a fan of chaos and pure insane entertainment it was incredible. Trysta Krick breaks down how the Patriots and Rams punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.
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Injuries: This is about as healthy as two teams could be headed into a Super Bowl. The Rams entered the NFC title game without a single player with a designation on the injury report and didn’t sustain any significant issues in their victory against the Saints. Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise (ankle) missed the divisional round against the Chargers but was removed from the final injury report before the AFC Championship Game, so his designation as an inactive player goes down as a healthy scratch. In fact, all 14 players declared as inactive for both the Rams and the Patriots in their respective conference title games were healthy scratches.

1. Experience versus inexperience: Bill Belichick is widely considered the best NFL coach of this century, and some regard him as the greatest of all time. He’s 66 years old. Tom Brady is 41. Together, this will be their ninth trip to a Super Bowl. Rams coach Sean McVay is just 32 – making him the youngest head coach ever to play in the title game. Rams quarterback Jared Goff, 24, is 17 years younger than Brady. Only a handful of Los Angeles players – including wide receiver Brandin Cooks, cornerback Aqib Talib and running back C.J. Anderson – have played in a Super Bowl. It helps that Los Angeles has an uber-experienced defensive coordinator in Wade Philips, who helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. Still, this is about as big a gap as you can have between two teams in experience at this level.

2. Hold the line: The play of the Patriots offensive line has been superb down the stretch. Against the Chiefs, the squad that tied for the league lead in sacks (52) in the regular season, New England allowed just one hit on Brady and no sacks. Against the Chargers, they also didn’t allow a sack and permitted just two quarterback hits. Center David Andrews and guards Shaq Mason and guards Joe Thuney have been especially solid. Against a Rams pass rush – including defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh – that made life miserable for Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second half of the NFC Championship Game, the Pats will need to continue their impressive stretch. To help with that, don’t be surprised if Brady looks to throw the ball quickly to neutralize the pass rush, just as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had had him do frequently throughout the postseason.

3. Stopping play action: An interesting matchup will feature New England’s secondary that relies on man coverage and has shined, with cornerback Stephon Gilmore and safety Devin McCourty being the leaders. But the Rams passing attack relies on the effectiveness of the rushing game due to the frequency of play-action passes. According to Pro Football Reference, more than a third of Goff’s passes this season came out of play action, the highest rate in the NFL. If Los Angeles can get running backs Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson going and if that play action can help freeze New England’s corners, those factors might give Goff enough time to find some targets down the field.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate the win over the Kansas City Chiefs during overtime in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) celebrates during the second half of the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead (34) scores a touchdown in front of Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Reggie Ragland (59) during the second half of the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mark Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams (26) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mark Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead (34) takes the ball out of bounds during the second half of the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots running back Sony Michel (26) runs the ball for a touchdown ahead of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller (23) during the second half of the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams (26) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) catches a touchdown pass in front of New England Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson (27) during the second half of the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots running back Sony Michel (26) scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports

Rams head coach Sean McVay celebrates with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips after defeating the Saints in overtime in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in New Orleans MATTHEW EMMONS/USA TODAY SPORTS

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) celebrates with wide receiver Austin Carr (80) after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter in the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) celebrates with tight end Gerald Everett (81) and quarterback Jared Goff (16) and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) after scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter of the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Chuck Cook, Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is sacked by Los Angeles Rams nose tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) during the second quarter in the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints tight end Garrett Griffin (45) celebrates with wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints cornerback Eli Apple (25) and middle linebacker Alex Anzalone (47) celebrate after a turnover against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter of the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Demario Davis (56) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter of the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) rolls out to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter of the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) celebrates with punter Thomas Morstead (6) after a field goal against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints fans Erin Patin and Jackie Gondrella of New Orleans pose outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before the NFC Championship game between the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. Chuck Cook, USA TODAY Sports

Fans look over a statue of late New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson before the NFC Championship game between the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints fan Wes Kraker of Memphis dresses as Elvis outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before the NFC Championship game between the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. Chuck Cook, USA TODAY Sports